Planting Roots for Sustainable Living
They say that old habits die hard. A Connecticut prep school is taking action to ensure that good habits as they pertain to sustainable living are instilled at a young age. Choate Rosemary Hall, in Wallingford, CT, will open the Kohler Environmental Center next fall. The center was made possible through a $20 million gift from Choate alumnus Herbert Kohler (CEO of Kohler Co), and was designed by Graham Wyatt and Kevin Smith of Robert A.M. Stern Architects.
As reported by Fast Company magazine, the 31,325 LEED Platinum facility will allow students to live there while competing against each other as they attempt to live their daily lives in the most sustainable way, in addition to creating and implementing an environmental project. As Linda Tischler writes:
The challenge is that while they're enjoying their new digs, they will constantly be managing their environment to try and be net zero—that is, they can't consume more energy than the building produces. The building's needs will be provided by a 325-kilowatt photovoltaic array, a roof-mounted solar water-heating system, a geothermal heat pump, a water-recycling system, and waste vegetable oil. Choate is considering installing stationary bikes so students themselves can generate power.
As a member of the Eight Schools Association, Choate is hoping that this experiment will spread to other schools and teach students about how their daily activities impact the environment and how little changes can add up to a big difference.